My doctorate concerns the Sumerian administrative documents of the Ur III period of Ancient Mesopotamia, particularly those from Tell Drehem. I hope to investigate the relationships between the Ur III administration and those regions on, or beyond, its ‘borders’. This relationship has been viewed as relatively static over time, and uniform over space. I think that such a view is not supported by the varied transaction history within the administrative documents, nor by recent work on the nature of ‘core vs. periphery’ dynamics, nor by our growing understanding of the complexity and variability of Ur III administration and its implementation. How were power and control exerted and extended by the Ur III kings? How were relationships of power conceived and contested in this important region at the end of the Third Millennium BC. [table “6” not found /]
Categories: PhD Research